Medical adhesive removal causes more than 1.5 million injuries each year in the US alone. Neonatal skin lacks an epidermis, making it highly sensitive and prone to damage during adhesive tape removal. Injuries due to adhesive tape removal from neonates include skin irritation, permanent scarring, and lifelong restrictions of motion resulting, for instance, from fibrosis, which can occur near joints or other dynamic tissues injured by the removal of adhesive tapes. The removal of medical adhesive tapes is also dangerous to elderly subjects, whose skin is often thin and loosely anchored.
FIGS. 1A-1B show a conventional medical tape 100 affixed to skin 102, such as the sensitive skin of a neonate. Tape 100 is a bilayer tape that includes an adhesive 104 supported on a backing 106. When tape 100 is removed, portions of skin 102 remain attached to adhesive 104 and may be removed along with the tape; other portions of adhesive 104 stay on the skin as residual adhesive 108.